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HONG KONG: Mandarin Films Distribution, the film company behind the immensely popular martial arts films "Ip Man" and its sequel "Ip Man 2", has said through a spokesperson that discussions are underway to shoot "Ip Man 3" with singer Jay Chou and Donnie Yen.

"The company would love to shoot 'Ip Man 3' with the original cast and crew. However, we will have to discuss the collaborative details with producer Raymond Wong to understand the situation, and if Jay Chou and Donnie Yen's names come up during our discussions, it would be the perfect team," said the spokesperson.

Hong Kong director Wilson Yip, who helmed the first two films, had revealed earlier in March that if he could shoot the third film, it would (like the films before it) be about the life of kung fu grandmaster Ip Man, but focus more on his relationship with his famous student, martial arts legend Bruce Lee.

According to Yip, "Ip Man 3" would feature an older Ip Man, so Yen might be made to look much older and appear in fewer action sequences than the previous films.

Chou is also pegged to play Lee, as Yip mentioned last year that the superstar singer was a good candidate for the role.

Mandarin Films and director Yip may be supportive of the project, but "Ip Man" and "Ip Man 2" producer Raymond Wong, as well as Yen, who played the titular hero in both films, were less enthusiastic.

Speculation is rife that Wong had a falling out with Mandarin Films. He also expressed his reluctance to get involved in "Ip Man 3".

"Ideally, I do not want to start shooting ['Ip Man 3'] this year or the next. There are so many 'Ip Man'-related films on the market; we should wait till the audience digest it all!" said Wong on Tuesday.

His reluctance was shared by Yen, who had repeatedly said that the first two "Ip Man" films were good enough and did not wish to make a third.

"A lot of people want to see me do 'Ip Man 3' but I don't want to do it in the near future. I will see how the script turns out before deciding," said Yen on Tuesday.

"If Jay Chou is chosen to play Bruce Lee, I think he should train with me for six months before shooting starts, so he can look convincing during kung fu action sequences."

Apart from the "Ip Man" series, another movie is in production about the kung fu master.

The Wong Kar Wai-directed "The Grand Master", which stars Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, has been plagued by mishaps and delays and is set to hit screens in 2011.

More on Jay

There are plans to cast multi-talented superstar Jay Chou as kungfu legend Bruce Lee in a third Ip Man film

After the box-office successes of Ip Man and its 2010 sequel, filmmakers are in discussions to make the franchise a trilogy, with Taiwanese singer-songwriter Jay Chou targeted as the man to assume the highly lucrative but challenging role of Bruce Lee.

2008's Ip Man, a semi-biographical martial arts film about the Wing Chun master of the same name, was both a commercial and critical success. Ip Man 2 was then released last month and is currently matching the box-office takings of Hollywood blockbusters like Iron Man 2 in Hong Kong.

This has prompted producers to begin planning for a third film, with intentions to bring back director Wilson Yip and producer Raymond Wong.

It is believed that Wilson has his eyes on Jay.

Kungfu star Bruce Lee is the most famous disciple of Ip Man and was slated to be featured prominently in Ip Man 2, but eventually only makes a cameo in the form of a boy.

His relationship with an aging Ip Man will now be explored in the third film instead of the second.

Whatever the plan is, things might have to go on hold though.

Raymond seems hesitant to jump onboard a new project. "I prefer to not have [a third film] this year or next. There are so many movies related to Ip Man now (there are also Wong Kar Wai's The Grand Master and Herman Yau's The Legend is Born: Ip Man). Let's wait for this saturation to pass."

Even lead actor Donnie Yen dismissed another quick sequel. "Let's wait for the script. Also, if Jay Chou is acting as Bruce Lee, I would need half a year to train him for his kungfu to look convincing."

It's going to take more than half a year for Jay to look convincing as Bruce. Maybe it could be done with CGI...

Donnie the tease

Donnie Yen is one of Asia's most popular action stars with more than 50 film credits to his name. From Hong Kong to Hollywood, he has captivated audiences with his style of martial arts _ a craft he has honed since childhood.

This week, Talk Asia meets the star in Hong Kong where he discusses his path to success, the evolution of action films, and opens up on chances of a third Ip Man film.

Since making his film debut at the age of 19, the 48-year-old actor has become one of the most recognisable stars in Asia, most notably in Ip Man _ a biopic about the martial arts legend who would become Bruce Lee's master.

Yen shares with host Kristie Lu Stout his thoughts on what made the film such a big success. "For decades, when we watched a martial arts film from Bruce Lee days it was more of a macho type of image, but then they managed to turn everything around like he's a family man, the softer side. He's very passive. I think it connected with a lot of female viewers. That's why that film had a success beyond what other martial arts movies have ever achieved."

Over the years, Yen has worked with superstars such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li. He shares with Lu Stout the experience of making movies with them, discussing how he staged epic fights scenes with Li in Once Upon a Time in China 2 and Hero. "At the time, we were put together in the film and we were younger, it was very competitive. But we had a lot of fun and the film turned out to be very successful."

The star compares creating action scenes in Hong Kong and Hollywood, where he has also choreographed and appeared in productions. "

[In Hollywood,] you choreograph the move, then you let the director and the cinematographer position the camera. Actually, it doesn't really work as well. In Hong Kong, we've crafted this art for decades. The action choreographer is actually the action director. He takes over and choreographs by himself and places the camera to highlight the choreography."

Yen also shares with Lu Stout his memories of growing up in the US as a member of a minority and the culture shock he felt when his parents sent him from Boston to a Beijing martial arts school in the 1980s. He explains how, despite the identify confusion, his patriotism found an outlet in martial arts films. "Since I was young, I have always been patriotic. Why do all Chinese look up to Bruce Lee? Because we found a person, it gave us a sense of roots and nation."

Yen is the son of world-renowned martial arts expert Madam Bow Sim-Mark and started training from the age of four. Now with two young children of his own, he finds it hard to hide his excitement about the talent he sees in his four-year-old son. "James can punch and kick all day long. I don't know where he got that from. He's never seen any of my films. He does have a natural gift. He can strike a pose and throw his legs like he's done it all his life."

This week Yen also takes Talk Asia behind the scenes of his latest project and reveals where things stand on the much-awaited Ip Man 3. "I wanted to explore and take advantage of the opportunities that have been granted to me for the next two years. I want to try other roles and see how far I can stretch those roles. Then maybe after that, Ip Man 3."

This has been confirmed by Yen's publicist, who said that Yen "is looking forward" to working on a 3D Ip Man film, and had entered into preliminary discussions with the film's producer Raymond Wong, though he "had not yet seen the script".

Edmond Wong further revealed that Ip Man 3 will see Ip Man's famous student, martial arts legend Bruce Lee, play a big part in the story, though Ip Man will remain the film's central character.

"What is certain is that the film will begin with Bruce Lee becoming Ip Man's disciple. As for who will play Bruce Lee, we will have to do a large-scale casting exercise. Stars like Aarif Lee and Danny Chan are suitable and have played Bruce Lee before, but we are looking for a 16-17 year-old Bruce Lee. They may be a little too old. It is all up to Wilson Ip (the film's director) to decide," said Wong.

Ip Man 3 producer Raymond Wong, added that the film will have a much bigger budget than Ip Man and Ip Man 2, as it will feature fight scenes enhanced with 3D effects.

Ip Man 3 will be the third film in the Ip Man series of martial arts films, which have done exceptionally well in the box office and had sparked a renewed interest in Wing Chun, a form of martial arts practised by Ip Man.

This has been confirmed by Yen's publicist, who said that Yen "is looking forward" to working on a 3D "Ip Man" film, and had entered into preliminary discussions with the film's producer Raymond Wong, though he "had not yet seen the script".

Edmond Wong further revealed that "Ip Man 3" will see Ip Man's famous student, martial arts legend Bruce Lee, play a big part in the story, though Ip Man will remain the film's central character.

"What is certain is that the film will begin with Bruce Lee becoming Ip Man's disciple. As for who will play Bruce Lee, we will have to do a large-scale casting exercise.

"Stars like Aarif Lee and Danny Chan are suitable and have played Bruce Lee before, but we are looking for a 16-17 year-old Bruce Lee. They may be a little too old. It is all up to Wilson Ip (the film's director) to decide," said Wong.

"Ip Man 3" producer Raymond Wong, added that the film will have a much bigger budget than "Ip Man" and "Ip Man 2", as it will feature fight scenes enhanced with 3D effects.

"Ip Man 3" will be the third film in the "Ip Man" series of martial arts films, which have done exceptionally well in the box office and had sparked a renewed interest in Wing Chun, a form of martial arts practised by Ip Man.

Wong Kar Wai, renowned director of "In the Mood for Love," has been shooting his new project "The Grandmasters" for the past three years. During this time, only several promotional posters and one promotional trailer were released, leaving everybody clueless as to when the film will be screened.

However, the production company behind another series of films which also center on the kung-fu master Ip Man, is set to shoot its third installment at the end of this year, four years after the first movie within the series hit the silver screen, Mtime.com reports.

The new project, which focuses on the master-disciple relationship between Ip Man and kung-fu megastar Bruce Lee, will be filmed in 3D format.

The sequel will see the original cast and crew reunited, with Donnie Yen once again portraying Ip Man, as he did in the previous two films.

According to the producer Wong Bak-Ming, director Wilson Yip is set to decide who will take on the role of a young Bruce Lee.

3d is eh...especially selective 3d is even worse...because people have to sit there and watch the whole thing with the glasses on for only a few scenes....my mom once said(after she saw tron) that they should do what they did in the old days, which was when a 3d scene came up you would see a flash that said "put your 3d glasses on now!!" it would kind of take you out of the film...but still better then ruining the entire image just for like what...5 scenes.

Pegasus Motion Pictures on Monday (March 24) took the wraps off its big budget crime thriller “Z Storm,” which is set for summer release.

The company, formed in 2009 by Raymond Wong after he broke away from Mandarin Films, also updated plans for the much anticipated “Ip Man 3.”

Directed by David Lam, “Z Storm” starts as a simple enough police corruption investigation, but takes on political connotations when investigators unearth a massive financial fraud.

Significantly, it portrays the ICAC, Hong Kong’s 40-year-old anti-corruption body, in a three-way conflict among the police and the government. “This is fiction, not reality,” says producer John Chong, “and is different to the TV series that the ICAC funded.” (The ICAC’s four-decade-long role in funding film and TV production in Hong Kong is being celebrated this month by the Hong Kong Intl. Film Festival.) However, Chong likens the pacing and feel of the film to Fox’s U.S. TV series “24.” Others have made comparisons with “Infernal Affairs,” the hit film series that was produced at Media Asia when Chong, was one of the founding executives, was there.

“Z Storm” stars Louis Koo, Lo Hoi-pang and 1990s superstar Michael Wong, and has an official production cost of HK$60 million ($7.75 million).

That’s a big budget by modern Hong Kong standards, but is far from being the biggest on Pegasus’ slate.

Chong confirmed that the third installment of Pegasus’ internationally successful “Ip Man” franchise will move ahead in 2015 with the key elements from the first two films intact. Edmond Wong and Wilson Yip, now confirmed as major talents, are again on board as screenwriter and director, respectively. Raymond Wong will again produce and Donnie Yen is confirmed to star. The narrative continues the life story of martial arts master Ip, who late in life became Bruce Lee’s mentor, and who was the subject of two biopic films by Herman Yau, as well as Wong Kar-wai’s “The Grandmaster.”

The picture will be presented in 3D with delivery scheduled for late 2015 into the busy Christmas-Chinese New Year season. Budget is expected to be more than $30 million.

Pegasus will also produce “Wisely,” a suspense action thriller that is adapted from the novels (often transliterated as “Wesley’) by prolific Chinese novelist Ni Kuang. With a budget of $19.4 million, the film will need to be structured as a co-production with China and the screenplay has now received approval from China’s Film Bureau.

"key elements from the first two films intact" basically means Donnie's in.

Glad we got that sorted

28 Mar – After much 'will he' and 'won't he', Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen recently announced that he will make his comeback as the iconic martial artist, Ip Man for the third instalment of the martial arts franchise.

According to Mingpao, speaking to the media at the press conference held on 25 March with Pegasus Entertainment boss, Raymond Wong, Donnie stated, "After four years [of hiatus], I will again play the role of Ip Man at the end of the year."

Donnie admitted that he was reluctant to play the role at first, thinking that he has already built a good image of the character and should try other roles for a change.

"But no matter where I go, nobody knows me as Donnie Yen. They call me Ip Man. So I decided to play the role one more time to fulfil everyone's wishes," said Donnie, who hinted that it may be his last time reprising the role.

When asked about rumours saying that he charged RMB 30 million (approx. USD 4.8 million) to star in the movie, Donnie responded, "I have always charged a cheaper rate. Don't talk about salaries. I am doing this for friendship's sake."

Meanwhile, Raymond Wong revealed that the movie will receive 3D treatment and will be helmed by its original director, Wilson Yip.

As reported on Mingpao, the actor, who attended the press conference announcing his return as the legendary martial artist, Ip Man on 25 March at the Hong Kong Entertainment Expo, was asked to address rumours saying that he pressured the production company into changing the cast list.

According to previous reports, Donnie allegedly agreed to Pegasus Entertainment's offer, with the condition that co-star Lynn Hung and action director Sammo Hung were dropped from the movie, and Jessica Jann, his wife Cissy Wang's cousin, would be added to the cast.

To this, he responded, "The report is not true at all and should be treated as a joke. Lynn is an original cast member and it is absurd for me to arrange so that my wife's cousin would be in it."

The actor said that he would have made such an arrangement in his previous movies if he wanted to.

"In regards to firing Big Brother (Sammo Hung) from the movie, that would be even more ridiculous. I even told the big boss [Raymond Wong] that I would not make the movie without him," said Donnie.

However, he revealed that the action director was too busy with other projects to join the movie, and Raymond later suggested that Donnie asked his mentor, Yuen Wooping to help instead.

Jay Chou as Bruce Lee....

Jay needs to train in not only wing chun, but also jun fan jeet kune do to figure out how Bruce Lee moved, particularly in the Lee's movies since it was a bit different from how he would have fought in reality.

Former heavyweight boxing world champion Mike Tyson will join the cast of Ip Man 3 Pegasus Motion Pictures has announced setting up the prospect of some intense fighting scenes between Tyson and martial arts legend Donnie Yen, who reprises the eponymous role from the previous two Ip Man installments.

Principle photography of the $36 million Ip Man 3 commences today (March 25) in Shanghai, China. Reuniting the team that made the first two Ip Man films, producer Raymond Wong, director Wilson Yip and writer Edmond Wong.

“Two years ago Mike Tyson opened up a Weibo (the Chinese micro-blogging site) account and the first question he asked was, ‘who is the best fighter in China?’” Pegasus chairman and Ip Man 3 producer Raymond Wong told THR. “Someone answered him ‘Donnie Yen,’ and that gave me an idea. For the third installment in the Ip Man series, we want to have an explosive fight, and Mike Tyson versus Donnie Yen fits the bill.”

Tyson said in a statement: "Who is the best boxer and kung fu master in China? Wait for me, I am coming. Thank you for introducing me to Chinese kung fu."

Ip Man, also known as Yip Man (1893-1972), was a Chinese martial artist who popularized the practice of Wing Chun, a martial arts discipline that specializes in close-range combat. One of his most famous pupils was Bruce Lee, who developed his own discipline, Jeet Kune Do. Ip was born in Foshan, Guangdong, China but then moved to Hong Kong and opened his schools of Wing Chun in 1949.

Tyson, who made cameos in The Hangover 2 and 3, is set to have a significant role in the threequel, playing a property developer who is also a street fighting boxer. Apart from the introduction of Tyson in the film, kung fu icon Bruce Lee will also appear as a young pupil of Ip Man. The film producers were unable to find an actor to portray Lee's intensity onscreen so have decided to use computer graphics to recreate the most authentic Lee in the film.

The two previous Ip Man films produced by Wong grossed $37 million worldwide. The threequel is tentatively scheduled for release in 3D in the first quarter of 2016.

Asked about the spate of Ip Man films in recent years Wong said: “It’s been five years since Ip Man 2, and during these years there have been other Ip Man movies released.” Donnie Yen's portrayal of Ip Man is perhaps the most widely known, but there was also Wong Kar-wai’s well received The Grandmaster starring Tony Leung and Herman Yau’s 2013 release Ip Man – The Final Fight. “The audience suffered ‘Ip Man fatigue’ for a while, but the waves of Ip Man films has calmed down now, so now is the time to present our third installment,” Wong added.

The cast and crew of Ip Man 3 <葉問3>, the final installment in the Ip Man film series, recently held a press conference in Shanghai. Donnie Yen (甄子丹) announced that Ip Man 3 may be the last action movie of his career.

Film Will Feature CGI Bruce Lee

Ip Man 3 will mainly focus on Ip Man’s later years and his friendship with his famous disciple, martial artist Bruce Lee (李小龍). After much consideration, the film crew ultimately decided to use computer-generated effects in order to recreate a true-to-life Bruce Lee.

“We looked at a lot of people and researched many possibilities,” said producer Raymond Wong (黃百鳴). “But we still felt that there would be a problem no matter who acted him out, unless it was Bruce Lee himself.”

Lee’s younger brother, musician Robert Lee (李振輝), was also present at the press conference. He defended the crew’s decision, saying that they looked at many special effects companies in the United States, Germany, and other places, before settling on one that would guarantee the best results.

Donnie Yen Idolized Boxer Mike Tyson

Apart from the Bruce Lee storyline, another highlight of Ip Man 3 will be the appearance of heavyweight boxing world champion Mike Tyson, who will portray an American boss that manipulates the boxing black market and challenges Ip Man’s authority. Though Tyson himself could not make it to the press conference, he did record a video in which he declares war against Donnie.

In response, Donnie jokingly asked the crew to purchase a larger insurance package for him. However, he also added that Mike Tyson was one of his idols, making Ip Man 3 a particularly meaningful film for him.

“I followed his competitions more than ten years ago,” shared Donnie. “I studied his boxing and used those techniques in my films.”

Putting Every Effort into Final Action Movie

On the day of the press conference, Donnie appeared visibly thinner. He explained this was by request of director Wilson Yip (葉偉信), who “felt that in this installment, Ip Man should look more meager.” He also shared that in order to prepare for the role, he put a lot of effort into studying Ip Man’s psychological state in his later years.

When asked if he will continue filming action movies until he becomes too old for them, Donnie replied that Ip Man 3 may be his last action film. “Right now, the most important question for me is not whether or not my body can handle it, but whether or not a movie has creativity,” he stated. “Thus, Ip Man 3 may indeed be my last action film.”

Donnie also shared that when he traveled to different countries, many fans simply called him “Ip Man” when they saw him, which he found extremely moving. “I became popular because of Ip Man,” he said. “So if I’m to leave, I hope it can be with Ip Man as well.”